Meet Our Member! Nina Seaman
November 2008 Hooker of the Month
Nina Seaman spends the summer and early fall months on Bell’s Island, Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia where she is very actively involved with the local rug hooking community. We are fortunate that she is with us the balance of the year.
Nina came to rug hooking later in life starting in the 1990s when her friend, Fran Lewis, presented her with rug hooking lessons as a birthday gift. As Nina says: “It was the best present ever! It opened a new vista for me. I began to see things differently, such as now many different colors of grass are in a field. I also found out things I didn’t want to do – hook in a fine cut or do shaded flowers – and I focused on the things I wanted to hook such as crazy padulas, the sea, boats and wharves, the sky, pictures of the island and the people.” Her first rug, which was her own design, was of an image she saw every day – a Cape Island Boat.
She works in primitive folk art style, using #6 - #8 cuts of wool. Nina uses recycled wool as well as some Dorr wool. Recently she has begun using more spun wools, as well as fleece. Nina has also branched out to using metallic cloth and ribbon as well as other embellishments. According to her friend and past instructor, Deanne Fitzpatrick, “Nina’s style is to mull over a piece of work for a good long time as she looks at it. She waits to see what new materials she will find that will enhance the rug. She is patient in her approach to her work.” 
Two Nova Scotia hookers -- Doris Eaton and Deanne Fitzpatrick – have had the most influence on Nina’s development as a rug hooker. She does not attend many workshops or camps, although she did attend one with Marion Ham in Maine and then several with Deanne Fitzpatrick in Nova Scotia. Nina also worked with Roslyn Logsdon at The Highlands.
While Nina does some dyeing, she prefers to work with “as is” wool, including lots of tweeds and plaids. When she first started, Nina used mostly commercial patterns with a few of her own. Today, she draws most of her patterns and rarely relies on a commercial one.
Rug hooking is Nina’s major hobby. She finds it “so fulfilling and meaningful that it has crowded out other interests.” Travel and art museums are sources of inspiration for her that goes into making rugs. Nina likes to hook in the late morning and early afternoon. Mornings are used for gathering materials or working on designs. She claims to “do my best thinking while on my morning walk or in the shower.”
In 2005, Nina’s rugs were featured at an exhibit at the LaHave Islands Marine Museum. The theme was the island and its people. The rugs were a collection of stories about the government wharf, fish stories, Sunday church, the fisherman, the hard work and the boats. The exhibit had a great response from those who saw it. 
Nina is a retired World History teacher. She taught for many years in the Edison, NJ school system. Nina and her husband, Bob, who is a retired Presbyterian minister, lived all their professional lives in NJ, mainly in Edison. They lived in Toms River for eight years before retiring and moving full time to Nova Scotia. They now split their time between their home on Bell’s Island and their new home in Plainsboro, NJ. The home in Nova Scotia was their summer place before renovations in 2000 made it a year round house. They spent many summers there with their two sons, John and David. Both sons are married and bring their families to Bell’s Island each summer. Nina has four grandchildren – Lydia, Ian, Kate and Will. She has made rugs celebrating the birth of each of them as well as others showing life on Bell’s Island. Nina is now thinking ahead to The Jersey Girls show in April, 2009 and to a mat that celebrates the friendship of a group of women who she taught with in Edison.
When Nina moved to Plainsboro, NJ in January 2008, she was soon reunited with her long time friend Roberta Smith. It was through Roberta that Nina was introduced to our Guild. We are indebted to Roberta!
(Some of the information in this article is from Deanne Fitzpatrick’s article “Great Beginnings Start Somewhere in the Middle – The Art of Nina Seaman” that appeared in the June/July/August 2006 issue of Rug Hooking Magazine.)
Meet Our Member! Joanne McIllmurray
October 2008 Hooker of the Month
Joanne lives is Schwenksville, PA. The distance to our meetings and her job prevents her from attending as many meetings as she would like. However, she finds ways to contribute to HCRAG. Last year, Joanne presented the Guild program on wool “feather trees”. She also participates in most HCRAG demonstrations in Pennsylvania at The Henry Muhlenberg House in Trappe, the Peter Wentz Farmstead in Worcester, PA and the Apple Butter Frolic in Harleysville, PA.
Joanne’s involvement with rug hooking started accidently in October 2004 when she stopped at Homespun in Herford, PA and met Nettie Snyder who was so enthusiastic about rug hooking that Joanne signed up for a workshop in November. She went home and did some internet research and that night bought a little 8” x 8” pumpkin kit on eBay. The woman from whom she bought the kit was a big help too and told Joanne about online rug hooking groups which she joined. When the pumpkin kit arrived a few days later, she worked on it immediately using a hoop. It was finished in one day and she was hooked! The following weekend, she went back to Homespun and bought a Puritan frame. Joanne had three rugs completed by the time she took the November workshop. She has not stopped since.
Her first rug hooking camp was “Hooked in the Mountains” at Shelburne Museum in April 2006 where she worked with Karen Kahle. The following August she took a Jon Ciemiewicz workshop. Jon drew Joanne’s cat, Nicky, who she lost a few days after coming back from Vermont. Joanne prefers to hook in 8 and 8.5 cuts in the primitive style, but she completed Nicky’s rug in 4 and 6 cuts. Joanne has also taken several workshops at Homespun.
She is a real student and “absolutely loves pouring through books with antique rugs and trying to copy their style.” Her favorite book is American Folk Art Rugs Underfoot by Joel and Mary Kopp. She was able to see several of her favorite rugs from the book last year at the American Folk Art Museum’s exhibit in New York City
When she first started hooking, Joanne said that she would “never get into dyeing her own wool or drawing her own patterns”. That changed in less than two months. She now enjoys “playing in the dye pot” when she has the time. She especially likes the colors that can be achieved by marbleizing. Joanne visits the local thrift stores looking for wool skirts and slacks that she will over dye. She also buys yardage, more so lighter shades that she can also over dye.
Joanne works with patterns she buys as well as her own. She claims that she “cannot draw to save my life”, so she has a practical approach to rug design. She uses shapes from the internet that she prints, cuts out and traces and items from the house such as plates and various size bottles that she traces for circles. Her approach works well for primitive style patterns. Joanne believes that “Rug hooking is what you do with the colors you use that really make your rug come alive. The same person can hook the same rug, but one can look totally different than the other.” When not designing her own patterns, Joanne keeps her eyes open for “that pattern that when you see it you know you have to hook it.”
When you consider the energy and enthusiasm that she put into her first pumpkin project, it is not surprising that Joanne hooks every chance she gets. With a full time job, hooking in the evenings currently works best. You will find Joanne at her hooking frame most evenings. After work, she enjoys coming home and sitting down to hook after dinner that is often prepared by her husband. When hooking she concentrates completely on her rug. Joanne works on one rug at a time. Usually that means whipping the edges and completely finishing the rug before starting the next one. However, she is often planning her next rug while working on one. Sometimes Joanne has trouble getting started on a new rug, but when she does, she “can’t seem to stop until it is finished.”
Being a prolific rug hooker presents the challenge of what to do with all her creations. The year after she started hooking, Joanne was accepted into several juried craft shows. She hates to part with them, but does not have the room for all she makes. She also has her rugs in several stores and does well around the holidays. The feather tree work shop that Joanne presented to the Guild has become popular and she has given the workshop at the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center in Pennsburg, PA and the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville, PA. Others have expressed interest too.
Joanne learned about our Guild from Mary Jo and Karl Gimber who were taking workshops at Shelburne when she was there. Her love of rug hooking has allowed her to support the Guild by demonstrating at events in Bucks and Montgomery Counties that are difficult for others to do.
When she is not working or hooking, Joanne enjoys reading, flea marketing, shopping and going to the movies. She also loves the ocean and will often jump into her car and drive to the beach for the day, mostly during the off season.
Joanne and her husband Phillip just celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary. They do not have children, but do share their lives with two cats – an Abyssinian named Miles who just turned 15 and a Bengal named Riley who is two. Joanne has worked in the construction industry for about 25 years. When she was laid off last year, she found work in another industry, but looks forward to returning when an opportunity arises. Phillip is an expeditor for a company that produces anesthesia machines.
Joanne grew up in a Pennsylvania German family where everyone did hand work of some kind. Her grandmother used to crochet, sew, needlework, knit and quilt. Her mother is still an avid quilter, seamstress and knitter. Her uncle taught her to do needlepoint and crewel embroidery. Joanne learned to do stamped cross stitch at the age of 6. She still has her first project, which hangs in her hooking room. For many years Joanne did counted cross stitch, but was unable to continue because of hand problems. She then discovered rug hooking. The rug hooking community and Guild are glad she did!Meet Our Treasurer! Gisele Meader
September 2008 Hooker of the Month
Gisele Meader is one talented lady! Not only does she create beautiful fine cut rugs, but she is an award winning quilter, a doll maker and a sewer. She also does counted cross stitch and redwork. The amazing thing is that Gisele works on all these creative endeavors at the same time. Her rugs and quilts have won awards at many local shows. She won blue ribbons this year at the Hunterdon County 4-H & Agricultural Fair for her miniature redwork quilt and one for her rabbit rug entitled “Snack Time.” Her quilts and rugs received similar recognition at the Mercer County 4- Fair recently held at the Howell Farm just south of Lambertville, NJ. Gisele is the proud winner of a national contest sponsored by the manufacturer of the Bernina Sewing Machine. The challenge was to complete an 8 ½ inch quilt block using the color red. Her award was an all expense paid trip to Alex Anderson’s Quilt Retreat in 
Livermore, California.
Gisele’s introduction to rug hooking came in the early 1970s when she lived in Hopkinton, New Hampshire and attended a rug show where she was inspired by the rugs hooked by Hallie Hall who was a McGown certified instructor from Contoocook, NH, an adjacent community. Hallie’s classes were full, but she agreed to fit Gisele in “if she was serious and did the work.” The classes were in Hallie’s home and ran from 9 to 4 for $3! All aspects of rug hooking were covered including dyeing, so Gisele received a strong foundation. Initially, Gisele worked on burlap and used narrow cuts to hook pictorial rugs based on Currier and Ives prints. She brought several of her early rugs to camp this year to share during the rug show.
In 1978 Gisele moved to Massachusetts and had to stop rug hooking. She held two full time jobs, commuted 75 miles one way to work and had two children to raise. There was simply no time for rug hooking. Twenty years later, Gisele returned to hooking on a part time basis. Her sister was remodeling her kitchen in 1998 and Gisele hooked four hot mats that had a flower motif based on the pattern of the wallpaper in the kitchen. She designed the patterns and dyed the wool. Her sister hung the mats on the wall where they still remain. Hooking items for the family continued when in 2000 she completed a buckboard bench seat cover for her cousin using English ivy leaves from her yard as the pattern source.
Bernie, Gisele’s husband, encouraged her to return to rug hooking on a steady basis. She started to look for a guild and attended a HCRAG meeting in February 2003. Later that year Gisele was representing the quilting guild at the Hunterdon County 4-H Fair when she met several HCRAG members who were demonstrating rug hooking. They encouraged her join the Guild, which she did.
Gisele is a member of the historic “Phillips House Group” (formerly the Birum House) that meets at the Howell Farm where they make items needed for the farm museum and store. While working on the hooked seat mat project, she learned of Gail Dufresne. It had been 25 years since her initial wool dyeing class, so she signed up for Gail’s class to refresh herself. “It was a fantastic class”, says Gisele. Gail helped design and plan Gisele’s award winning Manatee rug that she hooked for her grandson Josh. Through Gail, she also took a class with Elizabeth Black who is the acknowledged expert on hooking animals. Since Gisele works with fine cut wool (3 cut is her largest), Elizabeth’s approach was a natural one for her.
While Hallie Hall had a major influence on Gisele early on, she currently draws her inspiration from Guild meetings and from the interaction of small groups of members who demonstrate at the 4-H Fair, the Holcombe-Jimison Farmstead and other sites.
The rugs created by Gisele are almost always in response to a specific person’s request. She retains very few of her creations. Most are given to family or friends. About half of the patterns are ones Gisele creates for the occasion. The wool is purchased and dyed specifically for the project. Gisele does not work with “as is” wools. The backing used is fine linen specifically made for narrow cut hooking.
Gisele’s sister Teresa is a long arm quilter and recently custom quilted Gisele’s appliquéd Santa quilt that was on display at the 2008 Hunterdon County 4-H Fair. In return, Gisele is hooking a seat mat for a new bench in the master bedroom. Hooking on the project started at the HCRAG camp this summer. The pattern is based on the quilt in the bedroom. Gisele designed the pattern and dyed the wool from swatches of fabric provided by her sister.
Gisele says she hooks “whenever I can fit it in”. She is driven by target dates often associated with her projects, such as birthdays. As a member of the “Hooksome Chatmore Group”, she is assured of at least a couple of days devoted to rug hooking each month.
Gisele spent 31 years working for AT&T. She started as an operator with New England Telephone and then moved into human resources. Shortly after retiring in December 1998, her son Jon, who had a framing sub-contractor business in North Carolina, asked her to help him start a general contracting business, supporting the bookkeeping end of both businesses. What was supposed to be one week a month for a few months turned into a four year commitment. When Gisele’s mother, who lived in New Hampshire, became ill, she spent much of her time travelling between New Jersey, North Carolina and New Hampshire. This was a time when family needs were her priority. There was no time for hooking or other creative things. When it became clear that the needs of Jon’s business would be more extensive than expected, they struck a deal that in lieu of salary he would build her a retirement house in North Carolina for cost.
When her life returned to some sense of normalcy, Gisele returned to New Jersey and was able to give more time working in the flower department of the Pennington Market where she is responsible for bookkeeping. Bernie is the Estate Manager for the Roebling Estate in West Amwell. They have two sons -- Mike who is a teacher in Wisconsin and Jon in North Carolina. Jon has three children – Josh (age 9), Caleb (age 7) and Abby (age 3) who is adopted from China.
Gisele’s bookkeeping skills are used to the benefit of our Guild, her church and the West Amwell Cemetery Association. She serves as the Treasurer for all three organizations. Gisele has also been a Hospice Volunteer for the last 14 years.
Gisele Meader is a talented and valued member of our Guild. She contributes in many ways and we are fortunate indeed to have her involved in the rug hooking community.
Meet Our Member! Janet Bosshard
June 2008 Hooker of the Month
Janet Bosshard grew up on a farm in Hunterdon County in the 1950s. At that time, there were fewer people living in the area and children had to find ways to entertain themselves. Encouraged by her mother, Janet was attracted to handwork and learned knitting, counted cross-stitch and needlepoint. 
This attraction to creative work done by hand stayed with her. In 2001, Janet signed up for a beginners’ workshop with Gail Dufresne sponsored by the Hunterdon County Adult Education Program. Before the workshop started, Janet saw an article in the Hunterdon Democrat about Susan Feller and her Church Door Gallery in Califon, NJ. Hooked rugs were mentioned in the article, so Janet decided to visit the gallery to see what hooked rugs looked like and to find out what she got herself into with Gail’s workshop. She loved the rugs Susan hooked. At the time Susan was not teaching, but had wonderful things to say about Gail and encouraged her to take the class. That is how it all started.
The first class with Gail was held at the ESC School, but the participants agreed to meet at Gail’s home for future sessions, which was ideal because they could see all the different styles and projects in Gail’s home/studio. It opened up a whole new world. Looking back, Janet found Gail to be the ideal teacher for someone new to rug hooking because of her wealth of experience that she eagerly shared.
In October 2002, Janet along with her daughter went to the ATHA Biennial Exhibit held at the Valley Forge Convention Center. The vast display of rugs hooked in diverse styles and techniques stimulated her to want to do more and learn more. By chance, Janet met Helen Johnson at the exhibit. Helen was one of the top fine cut hookers in the area. Janet’s daughter was admiring a McGown rug and was encouraging Janet to buy the pattern and hook the piece. Helen overheard the conversation and mentioned that she was the instructor for that pattern. Initially, Janet was unsure that she could hook the complicated leaf pattern, but Helen assured her it could be done. Following the exhibit, Janet contacted Helen and arrangements were made for her to take lessons. She learned jar dyeing using Cushing Dyes and dyed all the wool for the rug, which was completed in a #4 cut. It is still among Janet’s favorite pieces.
Janet hooks in anything from a #3 cut to a #8 cut. The cut depends on the pattern and for whom the rug is intended. Janet has found that her children like rugs with detailing that calls for narrow cuts. Rugs completed for her grandchildren are normally done with wider cuts since the patterns have less detail. Each project is approached with flexibility. Janet wants the rug to be personal and something the individual will like. Janet is very generous with her rugs. Most are done for others. She has completed a rug for each of her three children and six grandchildren. Actually, the rug for her youngest grandchild, Harry, is not yet completed.
Participation in workshops and camps assures that Janet continues to grow as a rug hooking artisan. In 2003, she travelled to Virginia to work with Sally Kallin who describes her style as “impressionistic primitive”. Arline Bechtoldt, Bev Conway, Sherri Heiber-Day, Jayne Hester and Helen Wolfel are instructors with whom she has studied. The workshops were sponsored by HCRAG, the Everittstown Group or local classes. Most of the projects Janet has completed were patterns she purchased or were designed by her instructors. However, she is starting to develop her own designs. Janet wants to design her own pattern for the rug entered into the “Jersey Girls” Exhibit. A current rug for the Longstreet Farm challenge will be mostly of her own creation. Janet is still attracted to McGown patterns even though the shading associated with McGown style hooking is less popular than it once was.
Janet works with both recycled wool and new wool purchased from her instructors and other vendors like Rebecca Erb. At first, she went to a lot of garage sales and purchased recycled garments. When it became clear that her interest in hooking rugs was going to be long term, Janet decided to improve the consistency of the wool in her rugs and started to purchase more new wool. Janet notes that she “became more fussy” as her skills improved. Currently, she uses recycled wool from her stash together with new wool. Janet likes to incorporate wool purchased from her instructor when working on a project started at a workshop.
She has taken dyeing classes with Gail Dufresne and Arline Bechtoldt and enjoys dyeing her wool. Normally, Janet will dye her wool at the time she is starting a new project. The biggest obstacle is pulling out all the equipment and making a mess in the kitchen. Without a dedicated place for dyeing wool, the dye pots and equipment must be put away after each dyeing session. When her husband is 
away on a trip, Janet often sets up for several days of dyeing.
Janet finds that the winter months (January to March) are her most productive for hooking. When it is bleak outside, it is so satisfying to sit and hook. When the weather is better, there is just less time available. Janet’s enthusiasm for rug hooking is demonstrated by her active involvement in several guilds and hooking groups. She has been Corresponding Secretary of the Alice Beatty ATHA Chapter for the last four years, she demonstrates rug hooking at HCRAG community events and hooks with the Longstreet Farm and Everittstown groups. Gail Dufresne was responsible for introducing Janet to our Guild. She recalls the enthusiasm of our members and the wide range of projects. Janet remembers that at one end of the spectrum Barbara Lugg was creating wonderful pins and at the other end, Margaret Lutz was working on a room size rug! The friendships formed, the sharing and the enthusiasm are what bring her back.
Janet’s husband, Steve, is a Captain who has flown with United Parcel Service (UPS) for 20 years. He recently was assigned to fly the Boeing 747. Unfortunately, most of his flights will originate in Anchorage, Alaska. The schedule will call for flying for two weeks followed by two weeks off. Janet and Steve plan to try to make the arrangement work with him coming home every two weeks and her flying out to join him when she can. Steve loves to fly and is eagerly looking forward to learning to fly a new airplane.
Up until last year Janet and Steve lived in an old farm house which they renovated over the last 20 years. They moved to Monmouth County to be closer to their daughter and so that Janet could help with baby sitting the youngest child. Their home was sold to their niece who also grew up on a farm and will lovingly care for the farmstead.
The Bosshards have three children and six grandchildren. Their oldest son, Henry, his wife, Gail, and children - Grace, Margaret and Harry - live in Allentown, PA. Their son Mike and his wife, Laurie, live in Maryland with their son Matthew. Daughter Ali lives in Monmouth County with her husband Chuck and their children Brooke and Tyler.
When she is not hooking rugs or caring for her grandchildren, Janet enjoys gardening, antiquing and going to garage sales. She continues the hand work learned as a young girl and often knits scarfs for friends.
Janet Bosshard is someone who is generous with the rugs she creates giving most of them to family or friends. She is generous with her time as she finds ways to support her rug hooking groups. Most importantly, she is selflessly provides time to support her children and family. We are fortunate to have her as a friend and member of our Guild.
Meet Our Member! Bernice Smith
May 2008 Hooker of the Month
Bernice Smith’s mother-in-law, Ada “Mae” Smith, was an accomplished rug hooker in the Pearl McGown tradition. She was basically self taught with an excellent color sense and technique using #3 and #4 cuts. She started hooking in the late 1940s. After moving to Hillsbourough, NJ, she became part of a small rug hooking group. Bernice recalls that Mae had a number of books dealing with rug hooking and McGown newsletters. She introduced Bernice to rug hooking about a year after Bernice’s marriage to her son, Barrett, and gave her a new Puritan frame, a new Bliss cutter, and her first hook. The frame and cutter are still in use today, 40 years later, but the hook eventually needed replacement.
The first rug (#4 cut) that Bernice hooked was a McGown floral called “It’s a Cinch” that contained roses, iris, pansies, leaves and a simple scroll. Over the years, she has settled into hooking mostly with a #5 cut, but will also use a #4 cut or #6. Bernice has moved away from hooking commercial designs. She does not see herself as a rug designer, but the truth of the matter is that Bernice does design most of her own rugs. Photos, slides and pictures are the sources for most of her rug ideas. She is drawn to family related subjects such as: her Bedlington Terriers, her son’s interest in lacrosse, the beautiful windows of the church she attends, and early trips to the Maine Coast. “Eclectic” is the word she uses to describe her style and the rugs she creates. Her tendency is to choose projects that challenge her even though she is not quite sure she is up to the task. Bernice jokingly says that she is “better at starting than finishing” referring to some rugs that take years to complete. Once she starts a rug, she works on it to completion, which is why she is determined not to start any new projects until the few she has in progress are complete.
Bernice hooks weekly with a group that meets each Thursday at the Everittstown Church. This assures that she works on her hooking at least one day a week and also provides for wonderful fellowship and interaction with some very fine and talented ladies.
In the late 1970s, while at her son’s swim team practice, Bernice met Pauline Phillips who was working on a rug while waiting for her son to finish practice. Through Pauline, she met another rug hooker, Peggy Zahn. The three formed a friendship and started meeting to work together on their rugs. Peggy and Pauline introduced Bernice to HCRAG in about 1978. Through the Guild she met a talented teacher, Penny Waring Hayes, and worked under her tutelage for about a year until Penny moved to New England.
When it comes to dyeing wool, Bernice does it if she has a need. She is “not a serious student of the dye pot”. She likes working with both new and recycled wool and if needed may over-dye. Her favorite backing is rug warp that she finds works well with her cut. Bernice has used linen also. For small, odd projects she will use monk’s cloth, which she has among her supplies. She no longer uses burlap. Bernice has found that one of her mother-in-law‘s early rugs has serious problems where the burlap backing has given way. Bernice wants her hooking projects to last, hopefully, for generations.
After earning a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education from Paterson State College (now William Paterson University), she went on to a teaching career where she taught at the elementary and middle school levels. While teaching she earned a Masters Degree in Guidance and Personnel from Rutgers University where she met her husband. Bernice stopped teaching when her son, Evan, arrived and remained at home until he was in high school. During that time she earned an Associates Degree in Computer Programming. In 1987, she went to work as a computer programmer for a large insurance company. After retiring 1997, she was able to return to hooking rugs and the Guild once more. She attended several of the Guild’s summer rug camps where she became acquainted with a wonderful rug-hooking instructor, Helen Wolfel. Helen returned to the camp several times and also taught two summers for the small rug hooking group Bernice meets with on Thursdays. Helen was an avid dyer and over a period of time got Bernice started on four of her most challenging rugs.
Bernice’s husband, Barrett, is a retired earth science teacher. They enjoy playing cards in the evening and reading aloud to each other. Fiction, history and poetry are among the subjects they most like to read. She enjoys using her digital camera and sharing her photographs with others. Bernice has also been very active in her church over the years.
Last year the Guild was treated to a program on hooking trees that was presented by Bernice. Many who attended have commented that they now find themselves looking at trees differently and observing things they had not noticed before. The Guild is fortunate to have Bernice Smith as a member.
Meet Our Member! Janet Santaniello
April 2008 Hooker of the Month
Janet Santaniello learned to hook rugs in 1978 and has been at it ever since. It started when Janet and several friends visited the home of Nadine Rogg who was a rug hooker living in her town. They fell in love with Nadine’s rugs and wanted to learn to hook. Through Nadine, Janet met Alice Beatty at 
a local antique show where Alice was speaking. Unfortunately, Alice’s classes were full, so she was not taking new students. When her classes opened up, Janet and her friends all signed up. Alice was McGown trained, but she preferred to hook in the primitive style and her students tended to gravitate towards primitive rug hooking. It is what Janet prefers too.
Janet hooks mostly with #7 or #8 cuts with #6 cut used for detailing. When she buys patterns, they are normally adaptations of old or antique rugs. Janet likes to design her own rugs as well. After 30 years of rug hooking, Janet confesses that “I have wool coming out my ears!” The wool is stored in large boxes in the attic and basement. Like most of us, Janet finds that it is a challenge to keep the wool storage area neat and organized. As woolens are pulled out for possible use in a rug or returned after a rug is completed, they do not always get immediately returned to their box.
Janet likes the effect that can be achieved with textured wool and recalls the workshop with Jayne Hester where she used eight different wools (tweeds, herringbones and checks) in the background. Over the years she has used a lot of recycled wool, but increasingly turns to the wonderful new woolens being sold. Janet is an accomplished dyer having taken classes with Alice Beatty and Arline Bechtold. However, she really does not like to dye and with the great woolens now available finds less reason to get the dye pot out. When she does, it is for a specific need in her current project.
Selecting instructors who hook in the primitive style is an important consideration when Janet signs up for camps and workshops. She attends one or two a year and is a perennial participant in the HCRAG Rug Hooking Camp. In recent years, she has studied with Lucille Festa (at Cape May last year), Jayne Hester and Jule Marie Smith (three workshops). Janet recalls the enjoyment from participating in Patsy Becker’s backyard classes before Patsy moved to Cape Cod.
A busy schedule makes it difficult for Janet to hook on a regular basis. A new rug project often provides the stimulation needed to hook, especially if the rug is progressing well. The winter months when the weather is unpleasant is a time to get more hooking done.
Alice Beatty was responsible for introducing Janet to what was then known as the Molly Pitcher ATHA Chapter (now the Alice Beatty Chapter). Janet has been a committed member and currently serves as its President. In the early 1980s, Janet attended a show of the works from all local guilds (quilting, needle work, rug hooking, etc.) that were under the sponsorship of the Hunterdon County Adult School Program. It was held at Hunterdon Central High School and Alice Beatty was the featured speaker. Janet and many of her fellow students traveled to see the show and to hear their teacher and mentor lecture on primitive rugs. It was there that she discovered the Hunterdon County Rug Artisans Guild. Currently, Janet is a member of the McGown Guild in Bernardsville, NJ and the Green Mountain Rug Hooking Guild. The distance involved makes attendance at Green Mountain events difficult and limits participation to shows and an occasional workshop at Shelburne Museum. Janet is also an active participant in the group that hooks at the Everittstown Church each week. She also has a group of friends who meet in their homes to hook. Janet enjoys the informal and casual groups. As she reflects on the various rug hooking groups with which she is involved, Janet notes the “rug hooking community is a great bunch”. She enjoys the camaraderie of being with people who share her love of pulling loops and creating hooked rugs.
Janet and her husband Phillip, who retired from the electrical business nine years ago, live in Watchung, NJ. They have two children – Phillip and Maryann – who live in Hunterdon County. Maryann has two children, Lauren and Kathryn McKean, both of whom have a nursery rug hooked by their grandmother. Janet enjoys hooking rugs for the family, so each of her children and nieces have wedding rugs (six rugs in total!). Janet was a secretary before she was married. Volunteer work at a local hospital eventually led her to form her own floral design business. Janet was part of a volunteer group who created floral arrangements. When the hospital closed, she was encouraged to continue arranging with a flower shop that sponsored her for formal training with the Floral Association. A request from her daughter’s friend to do the flowers for her wedding led Janet to establish a freelance business from her home, which continued for 20 years. Eventually the overuse of her hands created physical damage and pain that caused her to close her business. It also presents problems today for wide cut (#9) hooking. When she is not taking care of her grandchildren, working on ATHA matters or hooking, Janet enjoys antiquing in the tri-state area. She and Phillip share an appreciation of primitive antiques.
After 30 years of involvement, Janet Santaniello is well informed and active in most rug hooking activities in NJ. She attends lectures such as the one recently held at Longstreet Farm, she helps welcome new ATHA Chapters such as the one in Lambertville and supports efforts such as the New Jersey Girls project. All of this is in addition to participating in HCRAG programs and running the Alice Beatty ATHA Chapter. It is no wonder that she is so admired by those who know her!
Meet Our Member! M. Kay Weeks
March 2008 Hooker of the Month
Kay Weeks’ journey as a rug hooker started in 1998 when her mother gave her the home made rug hook used by her grandmother. The hook was made out of a wooden clothespin with a nail driven in one end which her grandfather filed down and bent to form the hook. There were teeth marks at the base of the clothes pin. According to the oral history of the family, Kay’s mother would pick up the hook and put it in her mouth when her grandmother put it down, so that she could tend to whatever 
was cooking on the wood burning stove in the kitchen. Her grandmother recycled feed sacks and cut the fabric by hand. The rugs were put by the doors to cut down on drafts. Kay felt a strong need to use the hook and complete a rug in honor of her grandmother.
At the time the local library had very little information on rug hooking. All Kay could find was a page or two in craft books. Someone told her of Margaret Lutz who she called right away and went down to see her. Kay bought a frame, cutter and a professional hook, which she took home and “started to play around.” Kay also went to the local thrift stores and started collecting wool of all kinds including blends. Her initial attempts at hooking did not go well. Much of the fabric frayed. Kay soon learned that 100% wool was preferred. Margaret was not teaching at the time, but encouraged Kay to come to a HCRAG meeting. Fearing that Guild members would “all be pros”, she felt intimidated, and asked her friend Ingrid Cosmen to come with her. The two of them went to the “small Yellow House” in Flemington where the Guild met. They found the meeting room overflowing with rug hookers who were warm, welcoming and sharing. Both Ingrid and Kay were excited to find others who shared their interests. Gail Dufresne was President of the Guild at that time and was just getting started teaching. Kay signed up for a class and took advantage of all the Guild’s programs and classes.
Kay has participated in HCRAG camps and workshops ever since. She finds the fellowship and new project ideas stimulating. In time, Kay found that she would be in a position to mentor others. She currently is involved with a rug hooking program for school children. Kay is also an active member of the Alice Beatty ATHA Chapter.
“Not for the floor only” is how Kay describes her rug hooking projects. Living on a working farm with seven dogs and five cats means that floor rugs would be damaged in no time. Therefore, she creates pieces mainly for the wall and for the top of tables. As her abilities grew, Kay branched out and started to design her own patterns. They can be adaptations or completely original. However, each project has to have meaning for her. As an example, Kay once saw a painting by Barbara LeVallie, and Alaskan artist, in her book entitled “Painted Ladies”. With the artist’s permission, Kay adapted the image of her painting “Children Dancing with Umbrellas Over Puddles” to show her grandchildren jumping in puddles. In this case, she took someone’s image and modified it to reflect a family meaning.
Guild members have enjoyed following the development of Kay’s cedar chest series. The project started when Kay decided to hook a covering for an antique family cedar chest given to her by an uncle. The original idea was to hook a runner for each of the four seasons. She then decided to do one for each month. Seven have been completed so far. A new one is started each year at our camp in August. She attempts to work with a new instructor each year and to incorporate what she has learned into the rug. She also makes it a point to include wool purchased from the instructor.
Living on a working farm does not allow much time for traveling. Kay limits her attendance at camps and workshops to those sponsored by the Guild. Over the years, she recalls with fondness working with Elizabeth Black, Sherri Heber Day, Gail Dufresne, Susan Feller, Michele Micarelli, Kim Nixon and Helen Wolfel.
The recycling aspect of working with recycled garments was one of the features that attracted Kay to rug hooking. She now prefers to buy natural white wool and dye it. Kay and Ingrid will get together for a “dye day” where they work all day and share the results 50-50. They both like to experiment. Kay has accumulated all the equipment from local garage sales. She has taken various classes on wool dyeing and currently prefers the approach taught by Wanda Kerr, who is often featured in Rug Hooking Magazine. Kay now has bundles of dyed wool in boxes on shelves and can pick out what she needs before each project. She enjoys the creative process of matching wool colors to her designs.
Kay hooks as much as she can. She likes to get up early and hook for an hour or two, but finds it difficult to do that consistently. She finds the weekends a good time to hook when the demands of the farm are less. Kay enjoys settling in on Saturdays listening to a book on TV while she hooks. On Sunday after church and lunch, she will hook all afternoon if possible.
When asked to describer her style, Kay says: “It all has to do with color, not cut. I love to work with color.” She is especially attracted to light and medium values. Kay started hooking with #4 & #5 cuts and then was introduced to #3 cut by Elizabeth Black. Her Bolivar cutter has #3, 6 & 9 cutter blades which meet all her needs nicely. Kay fully organizes each project and needs to have every thing in place before she starts to hook. The pattern is drawn. Her wool is selected. Then it is time to sit and hook. Not surprisingly, her 2008 camp project is ready to go!
Kay was born in Alexandria, VA and grew up in Washington, DC. After attending American University she went to work with Capital Airlines (now United) where she met her future husband, Jay, who was a Capital Airlines pilot. They married in 1958. When Jay’s mother passed away, they returned to the family home in High Bridge, NJ. Going from the big city to the country was a big change and challenge for Kay. By the time their third son was born, they had out grown the house and eventually moved to the 100 acre farm in Port Murray, NJ which Jay had been operating “on the side” raising beef cattle, hay and corn. There was still the big city girl in Kay, but she “bit the bullet” and made the move. She quickly fell in love with the farm and the life style it offered. There was a sense of freedom, family closeness and “trees for the boys to climb.” Kay was introduced to joys of flower and vegetable gardening.
Kay and Jay have three sons – Jay Jr., Jeffrey and James. Jay Jr. is married and lives on a home built on the farm. He has two step children – David who is in college and Ryan who is in the Air Force. Jeffrey lives in Anchorage, Alaska where he is a Captain on ships that fish for King Crab and salmon. James also lives in Alaska (Kodiak) and works for several captains fishing for salmon, cod and herring. James has a son and daughter who visit their grandparents each summer.
An interesting aspect of Kay’s talents is the work she has done with her church in the area of “Puppet Ministry”. For 14 years, she worked and traveled with children who performed puppet shows in various church settings such as Messiah College, a Christian college in Pennsylvania. When the children outgrew the puppets, Kay turned to “Clown Ministry” which she did with adults for seven years. She found the clowning was a great activity for empty nesters. Christian clowning brought her 
“to a whole person”. She could share her joy and her giving feelings. “Clowning was a freeing experience”, according to Kay. Guild members had a chance to appreciate Kay’s clowning skills when she as “Yakm” the clown welcomed participants to our hook-in in April. (Yakm is M. Kay spelled backwards.)
Kay has always had a special interest and love for children. She was trained at the Western Theological Seminary in Michigan and spent some 14 years as a trainer, counselor and consultant in the Reformed Church Children and Worship Program. This gave her the opportunity to travel to many church denominations and assist Christian leaders in setting up children worship centers. Weezie Huntington was one of her students. Kay feels her previous church involvements helped to prepare her for the exceptional opportunities to touch the lives of many young children giving them a foundation for spiritual development.
As Kay turns 70 years of age, she looks back on her life philosophically and sees that “Life puts us on many paths, ends become beginnings and beginnings become endings. The last 10 years of rug hooking have been wonderful. A new world of color has opened for me. I look at trees, the sky and things around me differently. Rug hooking has provided a world of creativity and fellowship for me.”
Our Guild benefits from Kay’s enthusiastic celebration of life!
Meet Our Member! Weezie Huntington
February 2008 Hooker of the Month
In 1990 Weezie was pregnant with her younger son and wanted to make something hand-made to commemorate the upcoming birth. At the time, she was teaching at the Princeton YWCA and saw a brochure on various “Y” programs. She signed up for an introduction to rug hooking program taught by Margaret Lutz. Weezie was a weaver for many years and found rug hooking allowed her to move more quickly in a direction and was an activity that was more portable than weaving. While her previous interests have included basket making, knitting (briefly) and sewing, photography continues to be a passion, as does hooking. She cannot imagine life without either of those activities.
Weezie prefers to hook in a wide cut (considering anything less than a #6 cut to be “fine hooking”) and tends towards rugs with bright colors with patterns that are not too realistic. Her first rugs were of farm animals and farm scenes. She then did a series of rugs inspired by greeting cards. Weezie strives for a primitive look where the image is close, but not fully realistic. At times she works from photographs and recalls hooking a rug based on a pen and ink drawing of the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Fair, combined with pictures she took of the pigs at the Howell Living Farm. That rug was entered at the Fair the following year, where it received “Honorable Mention”.
A busy work and family schedule does not permit much time for classes and workshops. Weezie averages about one workshop a year. Most recently that has been our Guild’s summer rug hooking camp. However, in years past, she has attended programs at the Highlands and the Outer Banks. Last year, for the first time she was able to go to Shelburne, taking a workshop with Jule Marie Smith. Her other instructors have included Helen Johnson, Claire De Roos, Bev Conway, Helen Wolfel Rae Harrell, Jayne Hester and Kim Nixon. After working with Kim, Weezie started collecting old stools that now await a hooked top.
Weezie learned of the Hunterdon Guild from people she knew. About 10 years ago, a friend brought her to a HCRAG meeting that was also a members' rug show. She met Pandy Goodbody who, as it turned out, was a good friend of her brother-in-law. Weezie finds Guild members to be very encouraging and enjoys the camaraderie and the common bond that exists among rug hookers. She likes the creative thinking and finds that she is always learning from our members whether it is at a regular meeting or at camp. Weezie currently serves as the Guild’s Co-President. She is also a member of the “Hooksome and Chatmore” Group that meets to hook in members’ homes once a week. Weezie also hooks at the Hopewell Branch of the Mercer Country Library on the 1st Thursday of 
the month. She encourages other Guild members to participate.
When it comes to dyeing wool, Weezie claims “not to be good with recipes or following them”. “Eyeball dyeing” is more her approach. At one time, Weezie did more dyeing than she now does. Dyeing is generally initiated by someone in the “Hooksome” Group or a workshop and is not for a specific purpose or project. About 65% of the wool in Weezie’s current rugs is new with the remaining 35% being recycled. Like most of us, she finds it difficult to pass up the wonderful wools available today.
For the last six or seven years, Weezie has designed her own rug patterns. It is something she “loves to do.” Her rugs tend to be big and she normally works on one rug at a time, so she has few UFOs. Weezie is not in a position to hook every day. The “Hooksome & Chatmore” Group and the Mercer Library Group provide the structure to assure at least one day a week is devoted to hooking. There are certain times of the year when she can get more hooking done. Starting a new rug or finishing one is exciting and she will work more diligently at those times. Weezie’s rugs are made for her family. She would like to sell them, but finds that the price most people are willing to spend is just too low. She has hooked several rugs for charitable auctions.
Weezie has had a diverse and varied professional career. After graduating from the University of Denver with a BA Degree in Geography, she spent a year at the University of Wyoming in Environmental Studies and then became a Geophysist’s Assistant with Mobil Oil after which she became a self employed weaver. Her next job was as a UPS driver, a job “she loved”. She was promoted to Industrial Engineering Supervisor at UPS, a job she held for 5 years until leaving the company to be a mom. After the birth of her first son, she spent 12 years as a real estate broker/salesperson. Today, Weezie is a Certified Aquatic Fitness Professional working at the Princeton YWCA where she teaches aerobic level classes as well as working one on one helping to rehabilitate stroke victims. She also serves as a deacon at her church, sings in the choir, and is in charge of organizing and running the summer mission trips.
Weezie and her husband, Paul Moran, live in Hopewell, NJ. Paul is a quality assurance consultant specializing in medical devices. Weezie has two sons, Paul, from her first marriage who lives in Virginia Beach with his wife and their daughter, Kaylee, and Matthew, who is a high school junior. They have no pets since husband Paul, and Matt, are allergic to animal hair.
In her current role as HCRAG Co-President, Weezie has helped lead the growth of our Guild in the last two years. She is an effective spokesperson for rug hooking and HCRAG.
January 2008 Hooker of the Month — Kim Kagan!
Kim was living in Ohio when she first observed rugs being hooked at a local folk festival similar to the Mercer Folk Fest. She was disappointed that the rugs were not for sale, but purchased a kit with a small heart image. Kim was still working full time and not being aware of local instructors or hooking groups, the kit was put away for a later time. At the time, she was also involved with basket weaving, tole painting and water colors.
In 1999, Kim moved from Ohio to Doylestown. She did not plan to return to work and, therefore, had time to finally pursue rug hooking. She saw an article about a local rug hooker, Edith Prundeanu, who was teaching at the Mercer Museum. The classes were full, but Edith told her about the Bux-Mont Guild that met at the Doylestown Library. Kim went to the October meeting and sat next to Hildegard von Tenspolde who inspired her. The following month, Kim brought the kit she bought in Ohio and the Guild members helped her get started. She soon learned of Vicki Calu who lived near-by and completed a chair pad kit with Vicki’s guidance. By then, Kim “had fallen in love with rug hooking” and decided upon a more ambitious project – a large rug. She selected a “Whispering Pines” pattern that reflected a woodlands theme with pinecones. Vicki helped with the dyeing of the wool and the color planning, but it was apparent that Kim had found her art form and was a natural talent. That first rug was accepted for recognition in “Celebrations XI”. (We wonder how many, if any, other first rugs have been included in Celebrations.) After the rug was completed, Vicki shared that pine cones are among the most difficult images to hook properly, so Kim is especially proud of the end result.
Those who admire Kim’s wide cut primitive rugs may be surprised to learn that she started as a fine cut hooker doing realistic florals with traditional shading. At the time, she did not know about primitive style rug hooking. After hooking for about one or one and a half years, Kim met two women at Vicki Calu’s studio who hooked primitive style rugs. She was immediately attracted to wide cut hooking. Shortly thereafter, Kim bought a crow pattern kit along with the wool from Rebecca Erb and changed course. As someone who is serious about rug hooking, Kim admires all hooking styles and wants to be experienced in all aspects of the art form. However, wide cut primitive rugs are her passion.
Kim is dedicated to her development as a rug hooking artisan. She has taken classes “up and down the east coast and mid-west”. The workshops, camps and instructors are purposefully selected to help her learn and round out her hooking experiences. Kim sets goals for her continuing development. Becoming proficient in hooking portraits and landscapes are on her agenda. To say that Kim enjoys attending workshops is an understatement. One year she attended seven! In a typical year, Kim participates in three or four camps/workshops. Each one is selected with a specific purpose or a specific instructor in mind. She attempts to work with and learn from all the major instructors. Elizabeth Black ,Nancy Blood, Barb Carroll, Gail Dufresne, Dick LaBarge, Emmy Lou Lais, George Kahnle and Helen Wolfel and are just a few who come to mind.
Kim speaks of Penny Hayes with particular fondness and sees Penny as her mentor. They met at a camp in Maine and soon were vacationing together where they spent their time dyeing wool and hooking rugs. According to Kim, “Penny is hooking the antiques of tomorrow.” Penny, who now lives in Tennessee, is one of the founding members of HCRAG.
Large rugs appeal to Kim more than smaller ones. Since a new project is typically started at each workshop, Kim normally has several rugs going at the same time. When she first started hooking, Kim stayed with one rug until it was completed. However, she found that she “got sloppy when she became bored with the rug”. With three or four rugs under development, she can switch to another rug when she tires of doing background on one. Kim disciplines herself by setting deadlines, but acknowledges that she still has her share of unfinished projects.
Kim describes herself as “a novice wool dyer”. She has taken classes and knows what to do, but tends to buy the wool she needs for a rug. When she dyes, it is more to add to her stash rather than for a project. She likes to hook more than dye and is always anxious to get started on the next project. When it comes to her stash, she has an entire room dedicated to her wool with floor to ceiling shelves and plastic tubs. Kim confesses that her wool “is spilling over to another room.” When Kim first started hooking, she used recycled wool almost exclusively and visited the local thrift stores on a regular basis. Today, she relies more on suppliers for her wool. In addition to collecting wool, Kim collects patterns and ideas for rugs. She has a sketch book where she records notes for rug ideas. She is comfortable and confident in enhancing a pattern by making changes that better reflect what she wants.
The hooking frame and favorite chair are always in view. Kim likes and tries to hook every day, but there are times when weeks go by without pulling a loop. More often than not, she “gets into a rhythm” and works steadily on the current project. With large rugs, she approaches them in sections and normally sets a goal for herself when she sits down to hook. “That way it is not overwhelming.”
Madeline and Margaret Brightbill are responsible for introducing Kim to HCRAG about four years ago. At the time they were members of the Bux-Mont Guild where Kim served as president for two years. In addition, Kim has participated in the hooking group at the 
Highlands as well as several open studios and community rug hooking groups in the area. She is inspired by HCRAG members and by the rugs shared during the “show and tell’ portion of the meeting. Kim admires the wide range of rug hooking styles displayed by Guild members and their sharing nature.
Kim grew up in Plaistow, NH where she was one of five daughters and the youngest twin (by three minutes). After high school, she married and had two children. Kim divorced in 1980 and devoted the next 10 years working as a single mother raising her children. She was living in Westford, MA when she met her future husband, Michael, who was an engineering manager. In 1992, they moved to Ohio when Michael was promoted and then to Doylestown, PA in 1999 with a promotion to VP of Engineering and Operations for a bio-tech company. Her son, Joshua, lives in Tennessee and her daughter, Melinda, lives in Ohio. Kim has four grandchildren. Kim and Michael have two Boston Terriers – Max and Maya -- and a log house in Maine where they go several times a year. Their New England home is an ideal showcase for Kim’s primitive rugs. Kim volunteers at a thrift store that supports the Network of Victim Assistance (NOVA) and enjoys antiquing. Michael is an accomplished woodcarver, turner and sculptor who shows and sells his work at several shows. He is also active in several carving clubs.
Learning and improving her technique is important to Kim. Equally important is sharing what she has learned with others as demonstrated by her recent Guild meeting programs. Kim Kagan contributes to our Guild in many ways. She is a real HCRAG asset.
